Little Falls transcript., 1887-06-17

and where. am sure he must be
beautiful =. !.
"A sound from the man at her feet
caused her to stop. The fool had
/ rolled on his back in g. convulslon OF
| laughter, and the tears trickled down
his cheeks.
"Fool" cried the lady, springirgfrom
the couch in anger.
| Mother OF God!" exclaimed the
dwarf. "Will the eternal SHOWS melt
| and desert the blossom? Will the tow
er fall? Shall bestraight? Will God
take pity? Will my lady love?" He
threw his jangling punchinello at her
feet, and tore his. cap from his head.
"Wear them," he cried, ''my bauble
and my cap! never cracked so excel
| lent a. JEST"
"slave!" The lady grew pale with
rage. Tomorrow, you shall see, for
shall find which OF my courtiers it is
that sings thus, and I will marry him
and none but him."
"None but him, gracious lady? And
all these perfumed knights that have
been praying to you while moons grew
great and faded into sheaths again
and waned to darkness, and these
that hold g. courtly contest for your
hand?"
81 will marry him alone who knows
my soul, and shows it to me in song.
| sent for you that you might search
him out, thought you might do me
some service.'
"Aye, for the scorn OF fifteen years,
which you have given me?"
"Haveyo not given me back scorn
for scorn?"
| Eat least to-day I have made you
forget we are not equals. You are de-
tending yourself against me, mistress,
against your slave!"
"Leave me! Tomorrow mind, at
night when my friends are with me,
shall lird who sang those songs, and
| will be his wife, and none but wife.
You think cannot love, I have
| known none but fools though they
were not all as ugl ly as devils. Out OF
my sight. do not need your aid.'
The fool, with his bestiaL head hang
! ing, and his hot eyes rolling threw up
| his hands with a frantic gesture and
rushed from the ROOM
The day passed. Evening came,
and, later, the moonlight. Under the
balcony the shadows were dark. The
! Lady Lucrece walked in the chamber
! where the candles stood dark in their
silver sconces, and only the moon lit
the white marble which her garments
swept. She waited long the voice did
not come. The moon reached the
west. and still the lady paced the
floor At length the longed-for
melody, pure, vaulting, triumphant,
burst into song OF victory and love;
but ere it had sung a score of words it
was choked into silence. A sound
| arose to the lady's ears of passionate
weeping; there was q discordant Jan
gle CT the lutte as though a. disregard
full hand had brushed it heavily and
the night wore on in silence. The next
day no one saw the jester Massimiliani
nor the Lady Lucrece till it was night
"a festal night-and the stately
apartments We're ablazed with light.
Never had Pisa known such festival.
Liberty reigned in hall and hovel, and
the Lady Lucrece was the central fig
| u1e Of the festival. She sat at the end
Of hall on dais. Robes OF azure
silk fell all about her; jewels looped
| uD her hair, glittered on her arms,
clasped her white neck, and shone in
the fastening OF her slippers. About
her were flowers, perfume, light, music,
men who were courtly, women who
, were beautiful. There were marbles,
| carvings, tapestries, statues, and
fountains. But the deep fire in the
eyes of the Lady Lucrece did not
catch it's inspiration from any
OF these things. 1t was midnight
when she ordered the music to
stop. She had been dancing and all
the sensuous rhythm of the motion
seemed impersonated in her. She went
back to the dais and stood there,
young and fair, in the shadow OF the
ancient carvings. A look OF maidenli-
ness, unwonted in her, spread itself
! over her face. The came OF tyrants,
| and the blood OF the tyrant was in
her; but now she looked as gentle as
any maid that ever begged her lover
for anot her kiss.
IL have sworn an OATH" said she,
land tonight must keep it. The
people OF Pisa have long wished me to
take a lord, but have found none
whom desired. But, for many nights,
some one has sung beneath my win
dow. l do not know the man, but my
soul is welded to the voice, and l will
marry him alone who can prove to me
toni ght that it is his" Her hauveur
had returned. She was again the
daughter of line OF dukes; she was
commanding and not seeing. No one
replied or moved. The lady spoke
again.
"Surely he need not fear; he may
trust me- Sha waited still; a. wom-
an s tremors came back to her. "He
must have loved me-" she cried, 'sit
| was the voice of love. Let me but look
! on him who sang those songs to me-"
She held out her arms. The Jewels on
her bosom rose and fell. She seemed
| half sinking beneath the tremulous
agitation. Suddenly from behind the
back OF that great chair upon the
| dais there sprang Massimil;ani, the
| hideous jester.
ut was ~ he cried, cit was I!''
A nlurmur, half wrathful half jeering.
a bubble Of laughter, surged up from
the company.
"Fool'' cried the lady, ''this is no
time for jests."
'It was I'' he cried, "It was I''
.'Iet us hear your voice, knave!"
cried q saucy little fellow of sixteen.
He flung coin toward the TOOL. Mas
similiani seized the coin and flung it
i'll the young noble's face. The bent
back that had never Strengthened
seemed almost to straiehten now, and
a voice full OF passionate sadness, yet
melodious and thrilling, came out of
a form which seemed to be the cover
ing for only unclean things. 1t was an
existent paradox; an astounding; in
cOnoruitv: the antithesis of facts